A veteran Maine radio jock says he’ll never forget: ladies and gentlemen, the one, the only, Hulk Hogan… walking into the studio.
“In 2001, when Q97.9 was just a mere five years old and our studios were still on Warren Avenue in Portland, Hogan and his daughter, Brooke, stopped in to visit,” recalls Jeff Parsons.
“I remember it very well and was surprised to see this legend in person without all the hype I was used to seeing on TV.”
The Hulk, who died July 24 at age 71, was a regular Maine wrestling combatant.
He actually made eight World Wrestling Federation (WWF) appearances in the Pine Tree State, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland and the Bangor Auditorium.
Hogan wrestled several times at the Civic Center, including a WWF match against “Macho Man” Randy Savage in 1989.
In 1992, Hogan defeated Ric Flair at the Bangor Auditorium.
Besides his ring appearances, he accompanied his daughter, Brooke, to a concert 20 years ago at Funtown Splashtown in Saco.
“Brooke was touring small venues to launch her singing career,” Parsons recalled. “She was always accompanied by her famous father, because he knew his presence would bring out more fans to see his daughter perform in hopes of launching a successful career. She was 16 years old at the time.”
Back in Hogan’s era of wrestling, “these superstars would do ‘promos’ where they were interviewed, usually by Mean Gene Okerlund,” Parsons said. “This is why these wrestlers are performers in and out of the ring, and they were a crucial part of building the hype for each wrestling match.”
Tony Atlas, 71, a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame wrestler who now lives in Auburn, competed against Hogan several times and has kept in touch with him over the years since.
“Back in the early ’80s, Hogan looked up to me. I was a star. He was not,” Atlas told WMTW ‘s Jacob Murphy. “Hogan would give you the shirt off of his back. He was more humble, more humble, after he became champion than what he was before. He was always a very, very humble person.”
Atlas, now a personal trainer at Auburn’s YMCA, told Murphy that “no one may ever have a bigger impact on wrestling than Hulk Hogan did.”
“Hulkamania” became a thing once Hogan won the WWE championship in 1984.
WWE, the successor to WWF, put out a statement following Hogan’s death calling him “one of the most recognizable people in pop culture.”
Parsons wrote a tribute in memory of Hogan’s relationship with the Pine Tree State, entitled “Reflecting On Hulk Hogan’s Life And His Connection To Fans Who Saw Him in Maine.”
“Hulk Hogan is one of the most legendary wrestlers of all time,” Parsons said. “He may have passed, but he will always be remembered by his fans.”
